The Stone Roses to Reunite? + John Squire Gear Guide

Former Stone Roses bassist Gary “Mani” Mounfield has gone on record saying the only thing holding the original line-up of the band from getting back together is singer Ian Brown.

2008 has been an year rife with classic bands’ reunion rumours, from Led Zeppelin to The Smiths to The Faces…and it seems even as the year approaches its end, there’s still space for one more!

“Next year is the 20th anniversary of the first album,” Mounfield said. “It’s the ideal time to do it. It’s something I would love to do before we are all fat and bald. Start the campaign.”

Mani, guitarist John Squire and drummer Alan “Reni” Wren are all ready, however, Brown has had little contact with his former bandmates since The Stone Roses fell apart in animosity in 1996.

It may be quite a challenge convincing Brown to join in. When asked about the possibility of a reunion in August, the singer who has been touring as a successful solo artist in the U.K. for the past decade, said there is “no chance … not in the next three lifetimes.”

The Stone Roses’ John Squire Gear Guide

John Squire and his impressive collection of pedals

Stone Roses’ John Squire was one of the most inspiring British guitar players to come out of the 80’s, with his mix of Jimi Hendrix, Byrds and psychedelia. He was highly influential and possibly the greatest British guitar hero of the 80’s, alongside The Smith’s Johnny Marr. By 1994, his style changed radically and the ‘Roses second album, “The Second Coming” seemed to show that Squire was now heavily influenced by Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin.

However, in recent years, after the short-lived Britpop band The Seahorses and two solo albums which were not exactly well-received, Squire seems less interested in playing guitar and has dedicated his time to his other passion – painting.

If the Stone Roses reunite next year, it’ll be a great opportunity to see this great guitarist live in action again! So here’s a look at the gear John Squire

John Squire guitars:

John Squire and his Strat-Jaguar Custom made guitar.

Revealing his debt to 60’s music, one of John Squire main guitars was the Gretsch Country Gentleman. What can one say about it? It’s simply one of the best and most beautiful guitars ever made! This guitar was used live on many of the ‘Roses classic tracks, such as “Made Of Stone” and “I Wanna Be Adored”. The Gretsch replaced and old Hofner semi-acoustic guitar (painted in Jackson Pollock-style) which Squire had been playing for many years before the ‘Roses exploded. It can be seen on the “I Wanna Be Adored” video.

The other essential guitar at this point was also a pink Fender Stratocaster, which Squire took a liking to during the recordings of the Stone Roses debut album. It was used on songs such as set-closer “I Am The Resurrection”. It was a rosewood neck Strat, so get one if you want to nail the resurrection tone.

After the Stone Roses made it really big, Squire got a custom-made guitar: a mix of Fender Jaguar with Fender Strat, with humbuckers. Created by master Doncaster luthier Stuart Palmer, John Squire had two models made for him – a white one, and a sunburst one. He can be seen playing the white one on the “One Love” video, and he also used the sunburst hybrid guitar at the Stone Roses’ classic Spike Island gig.

Squire’s custom model – click to enlarge

As related in an old Guitar Magazine interview, it is the tail of a Jaguar fused to the upper body of a Stratocaster, with Gibson Flying-V pickups and a synchronized Strat tremolo replacing the floating Jaguar (though the Jaguar faceplate remains top-side). In an auction a few year ago, Squire’s original sunburst model was sold for over £15,000!

When the Stone Roses returned in 1994, John Squire was into his classic rock and his main guitar was a vintage Gibson Les Paul.

FX Pedals:

John Squire relied on several FX pedals to create his sound. He used a Fuzz Face for solos and extra distortion, and a Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamerfor a slight overdrive. Another essential John Squire FX is the Ibanez CS-9 chorus pedal. Used on tracks such as “I Wanna Be Adored” – the quintessential Stone Roses tune…and tone!

The other essential effect John Squire used was the Boss BF-2 flanger…the flanger sound can be heard on tracks such as “Made Of Stone” and “I Am The Resurrection”. It has now been replaced by the Boss BF-3 model. Get it!

The most unusual aspect of John Squire’s setup was his Alesis Midiverb II fx unit, used for reverb. Why? He used a mate, Cressa, to change the settings and activate it, live onstage! Cressa is the person that can be seem dancing behind John Squire’s amps on several live footage, and who would control this fx unit when needed. The MidiVerb 2 is now obsolete and has been replaced by the Alesis Midiverb 4.

Amps:

His main amp was a 60s Fender Twin Reverb silverface. He also used a few Mesa / Boogie amps: the Mark II-C and Mark III. Any guitarist who wishes to get a ‘Roses-type of sound should get the new Fender Twin Reverb, which is excellent, or, if you’re on a budget, a Blues Junior will always do…

[John Squire gear info taken from the excellent THE SQUIRE FILES website. Check it out for more detailed infoon his gear!]